Effects of Different Constant Temperatures on Adult Longevity, Development Time, and Progeny Production of Hyposoter exiguae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Developmental time, progeny production, and adult longevity of Hyposoter exiguae (Viereck) varied with temperature with Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) as host. As temperature increased from 15.5° to 35.0°C, immature developmental periods and adult longevity decreased. Time of total development ranged from ca. 37 days at 15.5°C to ca. 14 days at 32.2°C. Male longevity ranged from 31.3 to 2.4 days and female longevity from 35.8 to 3.5 days at 15.5° and 35.0°C, respectively. Access to food and water materially affected adult longevity. The parasite immatures developed in parallel with T. ni at temperatures ranging from 15.5° to 32.2°C. The upper functional limit ofH. exiguae was between 32.2° and 35.5°C; the optimal temperature between 21.1° and 26.7°C. The lower functional limit was ca. 15.5°C. Progeny production was highest at 21.1°C, with a peak of 26.1 progeny in 24 h. At this temperature, the female:male sex ratio was 2:1.